The Poliglot Dream
Are you ambitious? If your answer is “Yes!”, I’ve got a challenge for you! Become a polyglot! By definition, a polyglot is a person who can speak several languages. There is a consensus that the number is at least four, but it’s somewhat open for debate. I’d argue you have to speak at least four different languages and all four of them have to different to the point where a speaker of one can’t understand a speaker of another when each language is spoken. Some people are born lucky enough to live in an area where multiple languages are spoken, thus making the learning process a lot less inconvenient. For those of us rendered unlucky at the lottery of birth there are schools and language courses we can use to achieve the polyglot dream!
Being multilingual
Some may wonder why one would have such a dream in the first place. How does speaking several languages affect your life? In this article, we’re going to focus on this phenomenon and the ways in which it will change your life. It’s not only a matter of convenience, it is much more. Being multilingual changes the structure of your brain! It re-structures your brain and it has been shown to increase the brain’s capacity for plasticity. Researchers have shown multilingual individuals to have a greater density of grey matter in the inferior parietal cortex. In simple terms, this allows multilingual individuals to memorize more and faster than other people. By becoming a polyglot you are not only increasing the number of languages you can use to talk to other people but also increasing your overall ability to understand all aspects of life by being able to place more items into your memory and use them to create connections. Some may believe that ignorance is bliss, but that isn’t a general rule. The more you know, the happier you can potentially be if you want to enjoy it. Knowledge opens many doors. I’ll leave it up to you to determine whether or not it is the path you want to take.
How do we use a language really?
Another reason to become a polyglot has to do with the purpose of the language itself. We use languages to communicate ideas, but languages are inherently imperfect as human minds are capable of coming up with ideas at a far greater pace than the language expansion rate. There are many concepts we collectively understand without even having proper words to describe them fully. That is the implicit meaning of language. It runs far deeper than we imagine as these things we think when we speak seem natural or normal to us. You’ve probably found yourself in a situation where you were unable to explain something to a foreigner because that specific set of words has a meaning that is vastly different from what it should mean or because there simply isn’t a synonymous term in the other language. This is the issue translators face on a daily basis. Some of the often discussed strategies translators use include explication and implication. While explaining these strategies may not be the scope of this article, it is worth mentioning that these strategies rely on translators’ intuition as well as the definitions of the words used in the translated text. In a more practical sense, it means you are not absorbing the original text but the translator’s understanding of it translated into your language. This is how the idiom “lost in translation” was created. If you learn the language, you can get firsthand information. This is not limited to scientific research, but to all aspects of human life. Each language reflects the culture of the people speaking it in terms of their sense of humour, meaning, melody and understanding life in general. Learning a new language may even allow you to create a new perspective on life or help you to understand why other people feel or understand things in a specific way.
Opening opportunities
Last but not least, languages are hugely practical. Being a polyglot is an epithet not many people can identify with. It opens opportunities for you in all fields of life. You can meet more people and increase your social circle. It’s definitely going to be an important item on your resume! Even if it doesn’t land you a job you want, it will increase the number of jobs you can apply for. No matter how you look at it, there aren’t many drawbacks to being a polyglot! If you are ready to embark on this journey, check out our article with tips for learning a new language!
